conserving forests for future generations · healthy. reaching out to communicate more effectively...

Conserving Forests for Future GenerationsW I N T E R 2 0 1 3

NEW ENGLANDFORESTRY FOUNDATION

Lessons from Europe,Inspiration for New EnglandD E A R M E M B E R S A N D F R I E N D S ,

It is such a pleasure to have a peak career experience and to know you are having it while it is taking place. That happened for me in early fall when I sat around a table with eight other foresters at a forestry training camp in the mountains of northern Greece. I have to admit I am a tree junkie. I like talking about trees and forests. I particularly like discussing and fi guring out how to practice uneven-aged management. So this was just the best—and I knew it. There I was with eight other professionals, from France, Greece, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Portugal. We were discussing the New England Forestry Foundation’s new Marteloscope at our Prouty Woods location in Littleton, Massachusetts, USA. The Marteloscope is a fi eld training tool that takes a traditional forest inventory and integrates it with sophisticated computer software to help foresters, forest landowners, and forest-o-philes understand how different harvesting decisions will affect the future growth of the forest. New England Forestry Foundation is the US affi liate of Pro Silva, which created the Marteloscope. I was interested in learning how my European colleagues use the Marteloscope to train foresters. They were interested in help-ing me adapt it to the needs of New England forests and foresters.

Now we were in the weeds. Is the tree spacing depicted on the Marteloscope map important? I argued spacing was important. They explained how spacing wasn’t that important in the even-aged monocultures they were converting to uneven-aged stands. I countered with our experience in New England forests. They agreed. We both learned something. I was in foresters’ heaven.

What I appreciated most was the sense that forestry has something to offer society at a wide variety of scales—all the way from the large forest landscapes of Greece transforming under its membership in the European Union, down to the management and care of small groups and individual trees. That variation in scale is in play every day here at New England Forestry Foundation. We move seamlessly from developing the tools and techniques to protect 30 million acres with our Wildlands and Woodlands colleagues, down to walking out back in Prouty Woods to the Marteloscope training plot and discussing whether it is optimal to harvest one tree or the one next to it.

The sliding sense of scope and scale is what we are attempting to represent in this newsletter. We start by looking at New England from outer space. Then we tell you about our efforts to learn how to communicate with individual landowners in the MassConn Sustainable Forest Partnership area. Next you will see and hear about a single property—albeit the largest gift of land we have ever received. We end with the recognition of the towering landscape conservation achievements of John Hemenway and an introduction to our new Deputy Director, Frank Lowenstein. Enjoy the ride.

Robert PerschelExecutive Director

N E W E N G L A N D F O R E S T R Y F O U N D A T I O N

This publication is printed on Astrolite PC 100, a third-party certifi ed, 100% post-consumer recycled paper, produced using 100% clean, renewable electric power. Astrolite PC 100 is an environmentally responsible choice. Many thanks to Monadnock Paper Mills for their support in this endeavor. Our newsletters are produced entirely in-house by the staff of New England Forestry Foundation.

Achieving the VisionT H E E V O L U T I O N T O W A R D L A R G E - S C A L E L A N D S C A P E C O N S E R VA T I O N

W I N T E R N E W S L E T T E R 2 0 1 3

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The focus of land conservation is shifting into alignment with the mission of the New England Forestry Foundation. For decades the conservation movement focused on lands with scenic values or habitat for an unusual diversity of species.

Meanwhile NEFF focused on protecting large swaths of forest and promoting quality forest management.

Increasingly we understand that maintaining the natural values of New England requires NEFF’s focus. Many species—from song birds to moose to fi sher to bobcat—require different habitats at different life stages. They need landscape-scale protection, not just special places. Climate change also increases the need for a landscape-scale approach. We know now that groupings of species we recognize—such as a pine-oak forest or a red maple swamp—will disappear from places on the landscape. Species will respond individualistically, and we likely will not recognize the reassembled future landscape. These changes compel us to protect more than just the special and the unusual: we need to protect the landscape that cradles those special places, too.

In New England, we must conserve large unfragmented forests and the woods that lie between them. New ecological rela-tionships will establish, but only if we provide the space and pathways to allow plants and animals to move and reconfi gure. Landscape-scale forest conservation is New England Forestry Foundation’s bread and butter. We help protect the private forests of the region that are owned and managed for a variety of reasons. These private forests comprise 27 million of the total 30 million acres that the Wildlands and Woodlands vision calls for protecting. For these lands to both remain forested and become protected against unwise development, it is vital that landowners are able to obtain a fi nancial return from sources such as well-managed forestry operations, and in the future perhaps from providing clean water or storing carbon.

New England Forestry Foundation has protected 1.2 million acres of private forestland to date and our Heart of New England program is designed to help land trusts, regional conservation partnerships, foresters, and landowners protect and manage millions more. In the pages ahead you will read about how our Heart of New England initiative is moving toward this vision.


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Forests and the Night SkyThe Correlation Between Open Space, Habitat,

Migration, and the Need for Conservation

There is a forest conservation anomaly in New England that is appreciated best by pulling back . . . way, way back. From satellite imagery of the country at night, you can pinpoint a corridor of undeveloped land located in south-ern Massachusetts and northern Connecticut, set amidst some of the country’s largest cities—New York, Boston,

Worcester, Springfi eld, Hartford, and Providence. Despite its close proximity to these metropolitan areas, it is miraculously spared from development. Parts of this region have been tabbed variously and accurately as “The Last Green Valley” and “The Quiet Corner.”

The region features remarkable beauty with open fi elds, farms, and forests, alongside old stone walls and historic homes. The scenic vistas conjure simpler times and New England landscapes of long ago, the characteristics that make our region a wonderful place to live and to raise families. This region is special to the people who live there and visit. That’s why conservation groups banded together under the banner of the MassConn Sustainable Forest Partnership, one of more than 37 regional conservation partnerships scattered throughout New England. These conservationists realize there is something unique in the MassConn region—an ecological corridor of critical importance to the region and country—that will not survive unless we increase the pace of land conservation.

When looking at an aerial image of the northeastern seaboard, one will notice one last corridor of deep darkness sandwiched between splashes of bright city lights. The darkness indicates that this area remains a rural landscape. It provides critical habitat for many diverse species as well as a migratory pathway for millions of birds that follow the corridor to arrive at their destinations each year. It also represents a plentiful wood basket for renewable forest products. In addition, this cor-ridor provides the last natural link between southern ecosystems along Long Island Sound in Connecticut and Rhode Island and the vast forests to the north. In a time of climate change, the protection of this natural linkage becomes more important as plants and animals respond to a warming climate by shifting northward to fi nd suitable habitats. By adjusting our focal point from the entire nation to the eastern seaboard, and then to a more localized map of the area, we can see that this last relatively natural corridor is both unique and about to be overwhelmed by urban sprawl from Worcester and Springfi eld—unless we take action to protect it.

When looking at an aerial image of the northeastern seaboard,one will notice one last corridor of deep darkness sandwiched between splashes of bright city lights. The darkness indicates this area remains

a rural landscape with critical habitat for many diverse speciesas well as a migratory pathway for millions of birds

who follow this corridor to arrive at their destination each year.


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Top image, City Lights of the United States 2012, as taken aerially from NASA. The inset image is a call-out of southern New England,displaying the MassConn region in Massachusetts and Connecticut—a prime area for large-scale conservation.

As part of our Heart of New England initiative, New England Forestry Foundation selected the MassConn Sustainable Forest Partnership as one of the fi rst Regional Conservation Partnerships (RCPs) to collaborate with. Within this partnership, we are piloting our landowner outreach program, installing one of our forestry training tools (the Marteloscope), and delivering a range of conservation tools through our online Land Trust Toolkit.

The MassConn Sustainable Forest Partnership is a group comprised of regional land trusts, government entities, and other nonprofi t organizations to promote conservation awareness and sustainable forestry in this region. The geographic scope in the MassConn region includes 38 abutting towns. In Massachusetts: Belchertown, Brimfi eld, Brookfi eld, Charlton, Dudley, East Brookfi eld, Granby, Hampden, Holland, Leicester, Ludlow, Monson, New Braintree, North Brookfi eld, Oakham, Palmer, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Wales, Ware, Warren, West Brookfi eld, and Wilbraham. In Connecticut: Ashford, Chaplin, Eastford, Ellington, Hampton, Mansfi eld, Pomfret, Somers, Stafford, Thompson, Tolland, Union, Willington, and Woodstock.

New England Forestry Foundation’s pilot landowner communication research program offers the MassConn partners new and more effec-tive ways to communicate with the forest landowners whose actions

The map at right displays the location of the 38-town MassConn region. The red area indicates medium and high intensity developed landcover;the green area indicates forest landcover.

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The Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary is located at the center of the MassConn Sustainable Forest Partnership region and is one of the key supporters of efforts to keep this vital corridor forested and ecologically healthy. Reaching out to communicate more effectively with landowners is instrumental to fulfi lling

Norcross’s vision.

The original sanctuary, known as Tupper Hill, was established in 1939 by Arthur D. Norcross to conserve fl ora and fauna and to provide a refuge for all species, especially those that might be threatened with extinction. Beginning with 150 acres he inherited from his father in 1916, Norcross gradually expanded his land holding until 1965, when it encompassed 2,000 acres of woodlands and wetlands, including nearly all the watershed for Vinica Brook, a native trout stream and central habitat feature of Tupper Hill. This was the fi rst phase of Nor-cross’s efforts to protect priority habitat through direct land acquisition. By the early 1990s it had become clear that land development and loss of woodland habitat in the immediate vicinity of Tupper Hill and throughout the region was a legitimate threat to Norcross’s mission. So 20 years ago Norcross entered the second major phase of its habitat conservation program and began to purchase woodland parcels near Tupper Hill, ultimately acquir-ing an additional 6,000 acres of priority wildlife habitat for the sanctuary. Now, as a participant and supporter of the MassConn Sustainable Forest Partnership, Norcross is entering into a new phase of conservation activity—helping others protect and manage forestlands important to the sanctuary. Dan Donahue, Norcross Director of Land Protection and Stewardship, sums it up this way:

“We’ve accomplished a lot by protecting 8,000 total acres in this region, but our job will never be complete unless we can fi nd ways to infl uence hundreds of landowners to manage their forests well and keep them from being developed. That is why Norcross believes so strongly in working with the MassConn Sustain-able Forest Partnership and New England Forestry Foundation to investigate and implement new ways of communicating and educating forest owners.

“Personally, I have been involved with forest landownercommunications for over 30 years as a consulting foresterand during my time with Norcross. The forestry profession has yet to fi nd the right approach and our limited results are proof we have been missing the mark. We need to be more innovative and creative. What is intriguing about the New England Forestry Foundation’s approach is its partnership with the American Forest Foundation and the database andmarketing tools that are being made available to us at MassConn. It is good to know that we fi nally will be able to take advantage of highly effective marketing and targeting approaches to reach, engage, and educate people. I lookforward to excellent results and the subsequent opportunitiesto make these new approaches and innovations available to our colleagues elsewhere in New England.”

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Norcross Wildlife SanctuaryA Partner in Conservation

NorcrossWildlife Sanctuary,

Wales, MA


infl uence the retention of this ecological corridor, keeping the region rural, intact, and functional. Working closely with the American Forest Foundation and the Aldo Leopold Foundation, we plan to implement proven tools and strategies to engage more landowners in conserving and managing their land. Our pilot in this region is based upon lessons learned in the Drift-less area of Wisconsin and in the Piney Woods of Minnesota.

As part of the research we are launching an exciting new metric to establish baselines—a Conservation Awareness Index (CAI) survey. Designed by highly-respected experts in the fi eld of forestry and outreach, the CAI will allow us to estimate landowner preparedness to make decisions about their land. Once we have established baselines we will apply a systematic approach to increase landowner awareness, and obtain more conservation and better forest management on the ground.

These efforts build on new communication approaches already pioneered in this region through the coordination of our Wildlands and Woodlands partner, the Highstead Foundation. With help from our partners, we will utilize a national market-ing database to better understand and target the needs of landowners, and then apply proven social networking techniques to improve peer-to-peer communications between landowners. Our goal is to develop and prove the effectiveness of a sys-tematic communication approach for the MassConn Partnership that can be applied in other Regional Conservation Partner-ships and change the pace of conservation across New England.

Developing a new communication model and conserving and sustaining the MassConn region will affect New England for generations to come. On a local level, the forests of the MassConn region will provide critical habitat both for common wild-life and for endangered and threatened species; a local source for sustainably-managed forest products; carbon sequestration to offset climate change; fi ltration or clean air and water; thriving human communities and scenic landscapes; and special places for unsurpassed outdoor recreation.

At the regional level keeping the MassConn region intact protects an essential natural corridor linking northern and southern New England and providing a pathway of resilience for climate change. And lastly, if we can learn here in the MassConn region how to communicate with, educate, and motivate the private forest landowners who hold the keys to the future of New England forests, we can create another kind of pathway to the future—one that ensures the treasured New England landscape we love will still be intact and healthy for our children and grandchildren.

Please join us and our partners in conserving this remarkable region.

From left to right—Sunset view across a northernConnecticut landscape;Wood Thrush, a critical species in the migratory pathway;winter landscape in Pomfret, Connecticut.

www.QuietCornerCT.comwww.visitpomfret.com

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It was a picture perfect day in the heart of Vermont. The beautiful foliage, warm sunshine, and 360-degree mountain views made the Braintree Mountain Forest dedication event a day to remember, especially for Paul Kendall and Sharon Rives of the Todhah Hill Foundation, who donated the 1547-acre forest to New England Forestry Foundation earlier this year.

Their generous donation represents a gift of a lifetime—for Paul and Sharon—as well as for the New England Forestry Foundation. It is the largest land donation in the Foundation’s 70-year history, as well as its largest community forest among 141 located throughout New England.

The mountains of Vermont and the surrounding community have been central to Paul and Sharon for many years. Together they crafted a vibrant life, fi lled with many friends and activities in this peaceful, idyllic setting, where Paul serves as a Selectman and Sharon is active with the Chandler Center for the Arts, among many other pursuits.

The history of Braintree Mountain Forest begins in the 1970s, when the couple fi rst obtained several forest parcels. Little by little, the couple acquired additional parcels to build the forest base. Over time, the abutting properties collectively formed

Braintree Mountain ForestC E L E B R A T I N G

Friends, local residents, and nature enthusiastsgather together in celebration of the newly conserved Braintree Mountain Forest.

T H E G I F T o f a L I F E T I M E


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what is known today as Braintree Mountain Forest, named for the community they dearly love.

The couple’s initial vision was clear—to protect the headwaters of the Riford Brook watershed from development as well as maintain the traditional mixture of forest product and public recreational uses. Working closely with John McClain, a local consulting forester in nearby Randolph, the forest has been carefully managed to retain its health, habitats, and diverse woodland types.

Paul and Sharon have been long-time members of New England Forestry Foundation. When they were ready to secure their long-term conservation goals, they decided to donate the land to the Foundation, as our focus on conservation and sustainable forest management matched Paul and Sharon’s long-term conservation goals. At the donors’ request, New England Forestry Foundation will continue to manage the forest in the same manner, ensuring the unspoiled ridgelines remain undisturbed by any form of visible development for a period of at least 50 years. The property is now certifi ed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) for the highest ecological standards, as well.

“We are extremely honored to be the recipient of Paul and Sharon’s generous gift to New England Forestry Foundation,” said Robert Perschel, Executive Director of New England Forestry Foundation. “Paul and Sharon are community visionaries who understand the important benefi ts of conserving land for present and future generations. This is a signifi cant milestone for our organization and takes us one step closer in our Heart of New England initiative to conserve 30 million acres by 2060.” The forest offers incredible views, whether facing the mountain range or looking down from above. It also has an excel-lent trail system for hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing and is part of the VAST snowmobile trail network. The community is thrilled the land is now conserved and available to the public.

New England Forestry Foundation received various comments from supporters of the newly conserved forest . . .

“It was an important achievement, and we are all grateful to you folks as well as to Paul and Sharon. I’ve spent a lot of time on that property on foot, snowshoes, and skis and am grateful that the opportunity can be preserved.”~ Dick Drysdale

“I am honored to call Paul and Sharon friends . . . I look forward to a lot more skiing at Braintree Mountain this winter! ~ Zac Freeman

Paul and Sharon are very special people indeed. Their wish is to give back to the community which has given so much to them. By conserving the land and creating a community forest, it can be shared with everyone and will remain intact for generations to come. It is Paul and Sharon’s hope that the Braintree Mountain Forest will inspire others to conserve their land, as well, treasuring the peaceful life inspired by the scenic Vermont landscape.

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From left to right—Whit Beals and Robert Perschel,New England Forestry Foundation;John McClain,New England ForestryConsultants, Inc..; and donors Sharon Rives and Paul Kendall at the dedication site with views of Braintree Mountain


New England Forestry FoundationWelcomes Frank Lowenstein

New England Forestry Foundation is pleased to welcome Frank Lowenstein, who serves as Deputy Director beginning at the end of November 2013. Frank will oversee

NEFF’s fundraising and communications, and will provide input on strategies to address new audiences and issues in compelling ways.

Frank brings over 20 years of experience in conservation, with particularly strong skills in communications and marketing. In his role as Director of Forest Health for the North America Conservation Region of The Nature Conservancy in the late 2000s he oversaw efforts that produced a 20 percent swing in public opinion and reduced the spread of non-native insects. Most re-cently, he served TNC as Climate Adaptation Strategy Leader for the Global Climate Change Team, and previously he focused on forest conservation in New England. Frank has published three books, including the newly released Clothed in Bark.

“When I moved to New England to attend college, I was immediately drawn to the woods. I took every course offered by the Harvard Forest, became president of the outing club, and generally spent every free moment adventuring. That love of our maple-covered hills, rocky summits, and spruce-fi r forests has stayed with me, and I pretty much still spend all my free time in the woods. I’m thrilled to join the staff and board of NEFF in devoting my efforts to the conservation and sustainable manage-ment of New England’s forests,” comments Frank about his new position.

Frank may be reached at fl [email protected]. Please feel free to send a note to welcome him aboard!

John Hemenway ReceivesTree Farmer of the Year Award

New England Forestry Foundation’s Honorary Board Member, John Hemenway, re-ceived the 2013 Tree Farmer of the Year Award for his exemplary stewardship on

his Taylor Valley Tree Farm in Strafford, Vermont. His tree farm has been certifi ed with the American Tree Farm System since 1957.

John fi rst became acquainted with the Taylor Valley region in the 1940s, when visiting his wife’s family home in Strafford. He fell in love with the beautiful region and landscape, and purchased his fi rst forested property with 1,000 acres in 1950. At the time, he was Treasurer of New England Forestry Foundation and became the organization’s Executive Director in 1953. Through the years, John purchased additional parcels, eventually accumulating approximately 3,200 acres.

Through his work at the Foundation, John learned that a healthy forest has to be maintained through sustainable, long-term forest management, especially for quality timber and vital wildlife habitat. John favors an “uneven” or “irregular” forestry technique, in which different trees reach maturity at different stages to enhance biodiversity and successional growth. His land features hearty sugar maples, ash, poplar, and yellow birch and is home to moose, bear, coyote, and deer.

One of John’s greatest achievements includes his work to conserve the 18,000-acre Taylor Valley region. He has led the way in coordinating like-minded landowners to conserve their land and secure protection for the valley as a whole. Over 3,000 acres have been conserved to date, with 2,400 belonging to John. John also recently published a book on his conser-vation efforts entitled, Taylor Valley: Investing in Forest Time. When asked to summarize his story he exclaims, “I like to think of it as an adventure and it has been a wonderful journey!”

On behalf of New England Forestry Foundation and our members—Congratulations, John, we are all so proud of you!

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Harris A. Reynolds Society$1,000 or moreAnonymous (4)Mr. Robert W. AckermanJudith and Joseph BrainMr. and Mrs. John CederholmPhilip and Jennifer DuBoisMs. Deborah FriezeVirginia and Rick HarndenMr. Timothy A. IngrahamMr. Sydney Lea and Ms. Robin BaroneLivingston Fund at the New York Community TrustMorgan Palmer Charitable Fund at The Boston FoundationDr. Mary W. SchleyHartley D. Webster Charitable Fund*

$500-$999AnonymousMr. Joseph W. BrineMr. and Mrs. Richard BrockelmanVirginia and Peter RussellRick Weyerhaeuser and Annie Brewster $250-$499Mr. Emory W. AckleyMr. and Mrs. John M. BradleySusan and Appy Chandler through the Galilean FundMr. William G. CoughlinCharlotte and Charles FaulknerMr. Samuel HawkeyMs. Alice W. IngrahamAnn and Mike JohnsonDr. Stephen KellertThomas and Elizabeth Kelsey Fund*Mr. Philias F. LacasseMr. George LewisWilliam M. McDermott, M.D.Mr. Richard O’ConnorMoira Shanahan and Michael FriendlyClaire Walton and Eve Waterfall

$100 - $249Anonymous (2)Judith BergMr. Klaus BiemannMr. and Mrs. H.J. Brathwaite in memory of Elizabeth S. ReynoldsMs. Jane Chrisfi eldNathaniel S. and Catherine E. CoolidgeMr. and Mrs. Benjamin CraverDr. Charles K. CrawfordMr. and Mrs. A. David DavisMr. and Mrs. H. Kimball FaulknerMs. Lorna Franco and Ms. Leslie GloydMr. and Mrs. Paul G. FunchMr. Mark GosnellMr. David F. HayesReed and Therese HillmanMr. L. Jamison HudsonMr. Richard W. HulbertMr. and Mrs. Frank JenkinsMr. and Mrs. Drew KeownJonathan and Judy KeyesMs. Mary Eliza KimballMs. Mary H. LangerMs. Billiegene A. LavalleeMr. and Mrs. Robert A. LawrenceRobert and Patricia LeipoldChristiana M. LeonardMs. Rigel LustwerkMarcus Family Charitable TrustMr. Rick MerilMr. Manton B. Metcalf IIIDr. and Mrs. Charles H. MontgomeryMr. Henry H. MoultonMs. Seanan MurphyMr. and Mrs. Steven OliverDr. Joseph E. Pavano, IIIJudith G. PerleyMr. Brett Pierce and Ms. Kerry MichaelsMr. and Mrs. Joseph Purcell in memory of Elizabeth & Clinton ReynoldsMr. Thomas Quarles, Jr.Ms. Patricia SandilandsMr. Howard H. StevensonMs. Katharine R. SturgisMs. Mary L. Tyrrell

Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Van AlstyneMr. Gary Walton in memory of Elizabeth Sharpe ReynoldsMs. Joyce W. WilliamsMs. Nancy WilsonMr. Craig Winsor

* denotes a fund associated with the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

Foundation GrantsCherbec Advancement FoundationThe EnTrust FundThe French FoundationGE FoundationIorio Charitable FoundationMaine Community Foundation- NEFF Conservation Easement Monitoring & Enforcement FundNew England Forestry Foundation Fund at the Boston FoundationShell Oil Company Foundation Matching GiftsThe Wapack Foundation

Government GrantsCommonwealth of MA Executive Offi ce of Energy and Environmental AffairsUSDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service

Generous support from the individuals and organizations listed below has allowed us to continue and expand our efforts to conserve the forest landscape and the environmental, social, and economic benefi ts it supports. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and are vital to our success. While we have listed gifts of $100 or more, we want you to know that every gift is important to us and helps us fulfi ll our mission.

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Our Donors

Corporations and OrganizationsAmerican Forest FoundationBarnstable Land TrustBuzzards Bay CoalitionEast Quabbin Land TrustFranklin Land TrustQuality Graphics, Inc.Littleton Conservation TrustMonadnock Paper Mills, Inc.Nantucket Conservation FoundationSeven Islands CompanySportsmen’s National Land Trust, MA ChapterThe 300 Committee Land TrustThe Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, Inc.Verna Myers Consulting Group, LLC in memory of Elizabeth Sharpe ReynoldsVineyard Conservation SocietyWagner Forest Management, Ltd.Wellfl eet Conservation TrustWestford Sportsmen’s Club, Inc.Wilkins Lumber Company

We have made every effort to accurately list those who have made contributions. We apologize for any errors or omissions and hope you will notify us of them.

NON PROFIT ORG.

U.S.POSTAGE

PAID

MANCHESTER NH

PERMIT #456

New England Forestry Foundation32 Foster Street Littleton, MA 01460978.952.6856 www.newenglandforestry.org

Board of Directors

OFFICERS

PresidentTimothy A. Ingraham

Vice PresidentPhilip Y. DeNormandie

TreasurerRobert W. Ackerman

ClerkFrederick J. Weyerhaeuser

ADDITIONAL DIRECTORSIrene Sedgwick Briedis Fred DanforthWinslow DukeFrederick FindlayErnest W. Foster, Jr.Rupert GranthamJohn F. HemenwayJonathan M. KeyesDavid B. Kittredge, Jr.Elizabeth NicholsRichard F. PerkinsRobert Perschel Byron W. StutzmanRuth Kennedy Sudduth

HONORARY BOARD MEMBERSRobert L.V. FrenchJohn T. HemenwayBayard HenryWilliam A. King

Cooley-Jericho Community ForestEaston, New Hampshire840 acresNew England Forestry Foundation is working with the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust (ACT) in establishing and conserving the Cooley-Jericho Community Forest. The forest will benefi t four supporting towns in northwestern New Hampshire: Easton, Sugar Hill, Landaff, and Franconia. ACT purchased the land and New England Forestry will hold a conservation easement on the property to conserve the land in perpetuity.

The 840-acre tract has outstanding recreational, scenic, habitat, educational, and long-term timber values. The public uses the land for recreation as diverse as hunting, birding, berry-ing, backcountry skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and wildlife photography and observation. Cooley and Jericho are historic place names familiar in all four towns.

The Grafton Country Extension Forester reports that the entire property has the two best soils in NH for growing trees. A portion of the property is “Highest Ranked Habitat in Biological Region” and the rest is ranked as a “Supporting Landscape.” The property is part of the largest unfragmented forest block in the region, and was previously the highest elevation privately held parcel in the region, making it a key area for landscape-level conservation. It provides connectivity for wildlife and for recreation, as it abuts the White Mountain National Forest.

Cherry Valley WoodsGilford, New Hampshire27.6 acresNew England Forestry Foundation is grateful once again to Raymond A. and Barbara F. Carye for their generosity. In addition to donating the Carye Family Woods with nearly 400 acres in 2012, they will be donating an additional 27.6 acres in close proximity. The land is approximately two-thirds wooded, with white pines dominating the canopy. The remaining third contains a meadow, a very small pond, and several hundred high-bush blueberry bushes that have been cultivated for many years.

On the Horizon—Upcoming Land Conservation Initiatives

conserving forests for future generations · healthy. reaching out to communicate more effectively...

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